Life is like a Bowl of Miso Ramen
by RuneNeko
Summary: When Kakashi introduced a new way to help build teamwork in Cell Seven, they are surprised by Naruto’s reply. Do they really know him as well as they think they do? AU NaruSaku
1. Chapter 1

**Couldn't stop the evil plot bunny. It held a gun to my head, I swear!**

Summary: When Kakashi introduced a new way to help build teamwork in Cell Seven, they are surprised by Naruto's reply. Do they really know him as well as they think they do?

Dedicated to: Kokuou no Shin'en and Dragon Sword Master for being good friends. Merry Christmas!

Pairing: NaruSaku (not so much, but it's still there)

Notes: Not much fluff, kind of meant for it to be a one-shot, might continue it, might not. Depends, I guess.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Naruto and Sakura would be together, Sasuke would get spanked by Itachi for being a bad boy, and Kakashi would watch all his precious books get tossed into a giant bonfire, one by one…

… yes, I'm that evil.

"Hohoho! I'm Santa Claus!" - talking

Stupid plot bunnies - narrating

--

_Everyone has a perspective, a life, an ideal,_

_It also takes everyone to make it all real._

_--KitsuneyJenfner_

--

The sounds of battle were apparent if one were to happen to walk by a training ground one Saturday afternoon. The sounds of metal piercing flesh, grunts, metal on metal, and flesh against flesh told a story of a mighty spar between two rivals training.

Sweat trickled down the sides of his face as he shot a tanned hand at his rival, managing to catch him off guard, hitting his cheek with some force. The brunette grunted, quickly catching his balance before motioning for a break. The owner of the tanned hand nodded before collapsing on the beat up ground, panting heavily. His rival sat down near him, also panting, but not as harshly as his sparring partner.

The sound of clapping was heard as their sensei appeared out of the treeline with a pink haired girl following. The girl ran up to Sasuke and sat down beside him, asking endless questions concerning his health. He quickly shut her up, and concentrated on evening out his breath.

"Nice work you two, it was a good training session for today," their sensei drawled, nose back into his orange, worn out book. The brunette nodded. "Normally, I would dismiss you for the day, but the Hokage has suggested some techniques that she demand I use, therefore, we will be doing those before I dismiss you."

"What kinds of techniques, Kakashi-sensei?" The pinkette asked in a sickly sweet voice, still staring at her crush.

"Well, considering how tired the boys look, we will be doing one. It is simply a question that one thinks up, and everyone has to answer. Understand?" Kakashi asked, snapping his book shut and putting it away.

The blonde sat up, and nodded along with his teammates. Kakashi did an eye smile and then said, "Now, since we are doing this for the first time, I'll ask the question. What does life remind you of?"

They all looked confused, so Kakashi sighed and said, "Life reminds me of one big book with no ending, depicting everyone's lives, how they lived, etc. including all the drama, angst, romance," at this, a pink tinge could barely be seen on the uncovered part of his cheeks, and a giggle escaped. "Mystery, parody, etc. Do you get the question now?"

At the nods, Kakashi pointed to Sakura, "Okay, you first, Sakura."

Sakura nods, and then clears her throat, "Life reminds me of… flowers. We grow from seeds that sprouted from our parents, needing the sun, water, and soil to live. As we grow, we get stronger, and sprout seeds for our kids to grow. We constantly strive to reach a higher point than others to get more sunlight. And then, we eventually die, but when we do, we leave behind whatever nourishment we had left for the next generation to use to grow stronger."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully, never really thinking of that way before, "Good Sakura. You next, Sasuke."

"Is there a point to this?" He asked, glaring.

Kakashi thought a moment before replying, "I think it's to get a little view of you're teammates perspective on life, or something like that. It's supposed to build a bridge of understanding between your teammates, therefore, increasing teamwork, and success rate of missions."

Sasuke nodded, "Whatever. Life reminds me of a big circle, having no end, nor a beginning, constantly going in pointless circles. It can not be straight, for that would mean it has a beginning and an end, so it is curved, showing a perfect example of life's dramatic twists, and that life is never easy."

"Interesting, Sasuke." Kakashi said before being cut off.

"You are so cool, Sasuke-kun! Mine was so lame compared to yours," she said sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes. Sasuke grimaced and ignored her, earning a disappointed look for all but five seconds.

"As I was saying," Kakashi interrupted. "That was interesting, Sasuke, good work. Your turn, Naruto."

All eyes turned to him, finding him looking up at the sky in thought. He looked at his teammates, slightly freaking them out with how quiet he was being.

He took a deep breathe and said, "Life reminds me of a bowl of miso ramen," his teammates and sensei face-faulted, and sweatdropped at the answer.

"Oh? How so?" Kakashi prodded, finding the predicament amusing in a way.

"Well, for one thing, its really good if the chef makes it that way. If he doesn't try to, then it will suck, and no one will buy it no more. Therefore, he will lose money instead of gaining, and ultimately have to sell his stall to make sure he has a roof over his head.

"Now, think of life in the same shoes as that. Life is only what we make it out to be. If we want a happy, good life, then we do everything in our power to make it good. Kind of like the ramen chef does for his customers. They want good ramen, so he has to make it good, ultimately, keeping his stall, enough money to feed his family, and keep a roof over his head.

"If we sought a life of sadness and loneliness, it's just like making bland ramen. It fills your stomach, alright, but it has no flavor. Nobody likes bland ramen, we all love flavor in our food. It is the same with life; we want the flavor of drama, the flavor of adventure, the scent of happiness. All those things make life good, like flavor to bland ramen.

"And since miso ramen is my favorite, and the chef always makes it full of flavor, and taste, I am happy, and therefore, my life is good. Just like the bowl of miso ramen that I want so badly right now," he spaced out a moment before grinning stupidly.

"I'm starving! I'm going to get some ramen, see you tomorrow!" He raced off, screaming about his love for the proclaimed 'food of the gods'.

Back in the training grounds, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi stared at his retreating form with gaping mouths.

The first to recover was naturally Kakashi, so he broke the two chunnin's out of their shock by saying, "He has a… very interesting point of view."

Snapping out of it, Sasuke stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets, "I'm going home, later."

Sakura watched her love walk away, and considered following him, but refrained to, "Why do I have the weird teammates?" She asked herself, sighing.

Feeling a hand on her head, she looked up at her sensei, "Maa, don't worry about it, Sakura. What happens, happens, just remember to look underneath the underneath. You should get along just fine." He gave her an eye smile, and disappeared in a whirl of leaves, leaving Sakura alone with her thoughts.

Remembering what her blonde teammate said in response to the question, Sakura didn't even realize the small smile that graced her face as she walked home.

Fin?

**OMG, I couldn't stop the little thought on Naruto's point of view on life. I was skimming through some stories to read when all of the sudden, poof! This came to mind, and I thought, holy shit! That is sooo Naruto, but at the same time, not Naruto. Hehe, am I making any sense? I don't really know, lol. So anyway, tell me what you think! I need reviews, they are like blood to vampires! And I need to know how humorous this was, hehe. I certainly found it funny.**

**Oh yeah, don't forget to visit my profile and vote on the story you want me to write next! I might start another story, I was certainly thinking about it, 'cause my resolve is slowly slipping, lol. Anyway, review and vote my lovely readers!**

**--KitsuneyJenfner**


	2. Chapter 2

**Heya! I couldn't help but write a second chapter to this, to portray the NaruSaku part of it. I just wasn't satisfied with the end result. Sorry for it being so late, wasn't in the mood, lol.  
**  
Summary: When Kakashi introduced a new way to help build teamwork in Cell Seven, they are surprised by Naruto's reply. Do they really know him as well as they think they do?

(Still) Dedicated to: Kokuou no Shin'en and Dragon Sword Master for being good friends.

Pairing: NaruSaku (not so much, but it's still there)

Notes: Not much fluff, kind of meant for it to be a one-shot, might continue it, might not. Depends, I guess.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Naruto and Sakura would be together, Sasuke would get spanked by Itachi for being a bad boy, and Kakashi would watch all his precious books get tossed into a giant bonfire, one by one…

… yes, I'm that evil.

"Evil plotbunnies are taking over the world!" - talking

Stupid plot bunnies - narrating

_The journey is truly bleak without,  
The music flowing through my veins,  
As I walk through the hall of mirrors,  
That reflects my darkest pains.  
Doubt lingers and enshrouds,  
The shadowed recesses of my heart,  
Guilt traps my mind with knarled hands,  
As betrayal rips my soul apart.  
I lose hope of ever escaping,  
This little prison that I'm in,  
When light shines upon my frame,  
Portraying my darkened sin.  
Hands reach for a grip;  
I know that they won't get,  
But a tiny sliver of what might be,  
Demands me not to fret.  
I am hauled from the shadows,  
Still clinging on to hope,  
That the hands will not leave me,  
To struggle on and cope.  
The arms wrap around me,  
Followed by several more,  
The feeling is foreign to me,  
It warms me to my core.  
Is this what love feels like?  
Is it really that nice?  
Will I ever feel it again?  
If not, this will suffice.  
The arms slowly leave,  
And the warmth seeps away,  
But one stays with me,  
And keeps the cold at bay.  
Whispered words are spoken,  
Their meaning foreign to me,  
Just the tone there to say,  
You are wanted, can't you see?_

_--KitsuneyJenfner_

Naruto slurped his ramen, making delighted noises as he ate. Ayame watched him for a bit, smiling softly at his antics. She was far too used to his mannerisms to be disgusted by how he ate, and now thought it was quite adorable, and she was happy that he thought the ramen was good.

It was always nice to get some feedback from their customers, even though some are thoughtful enough to leave a tip. Ayame gets the feeling that they leave a tip 'cause they got to see what they wanted while eating.

Perverts.

She sighed and smiled at Naruto when he looked up at her, grinning, and asking for another one boisterously. Ayame could only laugh and comply.

Only Naruto.

She served Naruto another bowl, laughing at a joke he said, and went about her rounds of cleaning the tables, and getting orders from new customers that just entered. Even though most girls her age wouldn't get their hands dirty by waiting on customers, she just didn't like sitting around and doing nothing.

Especially when her dad is no longer in his prime. She hated it when he closes the shop at night, and lets down his young persona, showing her the old; tired man he really was. It was actually the only reason she still stayed to help with the Ichiraku Ramen. She couldn't bear to see her father in so much pain to do a simple thing like walk around and take people's orders.

She once asked him why he didn't hire people to help, and he said that she was all the help he needed. She was worth two hundred times more than a simple hire, and he loved it when she was around, it made him feel young again, despite how old she was getting.

She smiled fondly and took another order.

XXXXXXXX

Naruto belched loudly, making contented noises after finishing his tenth bowl. No matter how old he got, he would never stop liking Ichiraku's ramen, and would forever be an avid supporter. He sometimes noticed the pained look on his surrogate uncle's face when he worked in the kitchen, and always ordered one kind of ramen, to make it easier on him.

Not to mention left a good tip for Ayame whenever he could, she deserved it.

Someone sat down next to him. He didn't bother to see who it was, for the scent gave the person away right away. But he looked anyway.

Sakura was sitting there, next to him, looking contemplative. Naruto didn't think it was too farfetched for her to look that way, but it was so rare that she did, that he was instantly on alert. Though, his body language didn't give that away.

"Ohayo Sakura-chan! What brings you here?" Naruto asked a big smile on his face. "Are you hungry?"

Sakura looked at him for a moment, before nodding and smiling softly, almost unnoticeably. Naruto frowned on the inside, why was she smiling at him?

"Okay then! My treat! Oi, Ayame-neechan! Can I get a small vegetable-shrimp ramen here please?"

Ayame turned to look at him, noticing who he was sitting with, and immediately nodded, "Sure thing Naruto-kun! Coming right up!"

"Arigato Ayame-neechan!" Naruto called back, smiling broadly, and turned back to Sakura beside him.

"So Sakura-chan, what's up?" Naruto asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, just kind of hungry I guess…" She replied, looking at him intently.

He heard a loud growl give away just _how_ hungry she was. He laughed at her blush, "Ah, don't worry Sakura-chan. That vegetable-shrimp ramen will definitely fill you up, and it's good for you!"

She gave him a slightly unbelievable look, "How is ramen supposed to be good for you?"

As if expecting this, Naruto replied, "Well, some ramen isn't very good for you, 'cause of all the salt, and stuff in it, but this one was created for the soul purpose of being good for you. The vegetables naturally flavor the broth, since shrimp doesn't have a strong enough flavor to do so, so there is little need for spices to further flavor the soup. And since vegetables are not chalk full of carbohydrates, and calories, and shrimp is naturally good for you, it makes one healthy bowl of ramen."

Sakura sat there, staring at him, eyes wide. Naruto, who turned to see what her reaction to what he said, was surprised to see her surprised look, "What?"

She snapped out of her surprise, "Oh, sorry, just didn't expect you to be such an expert on ramen."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Sakura-chan. Not many people do. I guess it depends on whether or not they _want_ to know, or seeing what they want to see," Naruto replied, flashing a smile at Ayame as she set the order down in front of Sakura, and she returned the smile before moving on.

Sakura thought about what he said as she broke apart a pair of chopsticks, muttering, "_Itadakimasu_," under her breath. She tentatively took a bite of the ramen, and was surprised, yet again, at how _good_ it tasted. Naruto was right, it was good!

She took another bite, moaning breathlessly at how the flavor seemed to burst, and explode on her taste buds.

"Didn't know you would like it that much, Sakura-chan. I feel honored!" Naruto cut into her euphoria, laughing.

Sakura blushed again, thinking how much nicer his laugh sounded when it wasn't loud, cocky, arrogant, or for that matter, forced. She smiled at him, nodding, "Yeah, I myself am surprised at how good it tastes," she then thought back to what he said. "You mean you made up this recipe?"

It was Naruto's turn to blush, and he averted his eyes, "Uh, yeah, I did. It kind of occurred to me that if Ichiraku-jisan had something on the menu that was a bit healthier than other things on the menu, he would get a lot more customers, but so far… nobody has even glanced at it. I guess they don't really think about stuff when looking for something to eat."

Sakura frowned, taking another bite, not noticing how large it was, "Well, if you had someone, I don't know, advertising the new addition to the menu, maybe people would be compelled to try it out?"

Naruto looked at her, "I thought of that, but who would be willing to do that? I'm not exactly liked all that much, so people wouldn't want to try anything I'm advertising."

Sakura unashamedly slurped the soup and wiped her mouth off on the back of her hand, her mind too busy to comprehend the very unladylike gesture. If it had, she would be mortified at what Sasuke would have thought if he'd seen it. But fortunately, all thoughts of Sasuke were long gone from her mind.

"Well, Ino-pig and I are always trying to eat healthy and are often reluctant to eat out. Why don't I try to get her to try this, explain what you told me to her, and see what happens after that? She and I would be able to spread the word around easily."

Naruto's eyes glistened, "Would you really do that, Sakura-chan?"

"Of course, Naruto-kun. This stuff is really good, can't imagine why other people shouldn't enjoy it." Sakura didn't notice the affection addition to the end of Naruto's name, but he did.

He threw his arms around her, "Thanks so much, Sakura-chan! This means so much to me!"

Sakura hugged back, "No problem Naruto-kun, team mates are supposed to help each other out."

He smiled widely at her, and pulled back, "You don't mind if I disappear for a moment, do you? I have to do something for a sec'."

She nodded, "Sure, that should be enough time to eat a second bowl."

Naruto grinned, "Yeah! Coming right up!"

He got up quickly, and all but ran behind the counter, surprising Sakura that Ayame didn't even blink an eye at that. He returned a moment later, expertly balancing a bowl on his head, two on his left arm, and one in his right. Sakura merely raised an eyebrow at this, now used to Naruto's surprises as he set the one in his right hand down in front of her, and took off to deliver the orders to their respective buyers.

Some, she noted, didn't even bat an eyelash at him, and some smiled kindly at him, which he returned. He then disappeared behind the counter again, and joyous laughing came not a moment later. He re-emerged, smiling widely, followed by Teuchi, the Ichiraku Ramen owner, who was also smiling widely and clapping Naruto on the back.

Naruto gave him a quick hug, which he returned, and said his goodbyes for the day, slapping more than enough money on the counter to cover their meal. He then went to Ayame, gave her a quick hug, which was also returned.

"Are you finished, Sakura-chan? Would you like me to walk you home?" Naruto asked, sitting down next to her once again. She polished off the bowl, feeling quite full and content.

"Yeah, I am, and thanks, that would be great." Sakura replied, getting up and following him out the stall. He stopped right outside, waiting for her. Once she was out, he fell into step beside her, talking about all sorts of things, and allowed her to talk about what she wanted.

Unconsciously, she linked her arm with his, which made him even happier. She listened to him talk, letting his tenor voice wash over her.

_He is definitely no Uchiha Sasuke_, she briefly thought, a small smile on her face. _But he will do_.

**Aww, that was so cute. I just got this major rush of inspiration for this second part here, and I just had to write it. Tell me what you think!**

**I also want to see what you think about the poem before the chapter, I had just finished it today, and I want some feedback! Feedback is very good with a side order fries and beef gravy with a hint of ketchup…**

**Damn it, my sister got me hooked on that –pouts-**


End file.
